


A Reason For Everything

by BunnyBob



Series: Trying to Tie Loose Ends (Catharsis Continuation) [4]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, sidlink - Fandom
Genre: Blood, Brotherly Love, Near Death, injuries, it aint too much i promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2019-04-07 16:06:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14084565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BunnyBob/pseuds/BunnyBob
Summary: Estuu used to have the power to quickly heal others, similar to the late Princess Mipha. It was a gift that he was proud of, but he could never really tell what exactly about this ability appealed to him. Was it that he could save countless lives from otherwise incurable injuries and illnesses? Was it the sense of value that the power gave to his otherwise worthless life? Or was it something else?Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter when the ability swiftly disappeared with the loss of his arm in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake. It took years for him to claw out of a pit of self-destruction, and becoming his older brother’s personal knight kept him content for long enough.But when the presence of a Lynel threatens the Zora Domain in a place where everyone thought it was safe, Estuu must discover why exactly he wanted that old power of his so badly in the first place.(Based on the sidon x link fanfic Coma Baby, a somewhat continuation of another one that I made called Trying To Tie Loose Ends)





	A Reason For Everything

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BanishedOne](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BanishedOne/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Coma Baby](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10493943) by [BanishedOne](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BanishedOne/pseuds/BanishedOne). 



> This is a fanfiction for a fanfiction called Coma Baby by BanishedOne on AO3 (tumblr: @banishfics / @banishedone). If you like a grumpy Link and really well developed, deep characters and an amazing take on the political structure of the Zora Domain, then definitely check out Coma Baby! It’s a long read and still going on, but the writing and descriptions are superb and it just means more great content.
> 
> I post memes and fics for Coma Baby on my tumblr bunnyb0b, you can chat with me any time about anything!
> 
> This bonus chapter was not beta read, so prepare for trash and mistakes lmao

Estuu ran alongside the Oracle Knight and the Knight Captain, all of them rushing through the winding streets of the Zora Domain towards the Undercity district. It was in one of the more run down areas of the Uppercity, and no one bothered to push out the lower class Zora who often milled about and set up their own businesses since the area was so undesirable to the upper class anyways. The two older Zora were discussing the report that had sent them all into a panic.

“What the hell do you mean there’s a fucking Lynel in the Domain?!” Betaal panted as they ran.

Brivere grunted in response. “I do not know. That is just what the report said.”

“Well then it better turn out to be a false alarm! There’s no way a damn _Lynel_ could get into the Domain undetected! We’ve got guards posted all along our walls!”

Their argument faltered as the three knights rounded the corner, all of them instantly realizing that the Knight Captain Betaal couldn’t be any more wrong.

Even from this far away they could make out the humongous form of the Lynel, its tan and muscled body looming above the buildings that separated them from the market. A large head, almost obscured by its thick red mane, was peering around the rooftops, letting out a piercing roar that shook the buildings as it swung a large sword into the ground. The impact alone made it feel like another devastating earthquake had struck the Domain.

The three knights were the only ones running towards the beast as panicked citizens rushed in the opposite direction, slowing down their progress as the crowd became a stampede. Brivere and Betaal were shouting for everyone to evacuate to the barracks for shelter while Estuu could only try and block out the chaos in fear of his own sanity.

Eventually they skidded in front of the only entrance and exit to the Undercity market, a large silver archway that was dull and cracked, barely decorated with broken blue gemstones. The buildings inside were all packed together so tightly that it was practically a wall, trapping everyone inside unless they managed to make it to the archway.

They could see that the Lynel was standing in the center of the market, slamming its sword into the sides of the buildings and blocking any Undercity Zora from escaping with its huge body. Those who tried were immediately trampled under its hooves, leaving crushed bodies splattered against the pavement. Estuu whined, trying to process the havoc and keep himself calm, knowing that this absolutely _wasn’t_ the right time to dart away and recover like he usually did.

Brivere suddenly grabbed him and Betaal by their armor and dragged them off to the side, slamming them against the wall. “What the hell Brivere!” she shouted, trying to squirm out of his grasp. “We need to help-!”

Her words were cut off as a chunk of a building was hurled at the archway, completely destroying it as it crashed into the ground where they were just standing.

“Had a vision.” Brivere grunted, disregarding how the two other knights gaped at him. “In fact, it also gave me a plan. I need you to go and gather as many soldiers as possible and rally them all at the reservoir. Estuu and I will lead the Lynel out there.”

“…Are you crazy?”

A grimace flashed across the Oracle Knight’s face. “Yes. Do not worry, the vision I had ensured that we would be able to draw the beast there unscathed.”

She hesitated, unsure if she could just leave the brothers behind, but the chorus of screams that erupted out of the market quickly made the decision for her.

“Go!” Brivere shouted, pushing her away. “If we do not arrive in an hour then you may return with reinforcements!”

“I’m only giving you half an hour!” she yelled over her shoulder as she sprinted away.

Sighing, his older brother got down onto one knee and looked Estuu in the eye. Usually the younger Zora didn’t like eye contact, and Brivere was aware of this, but both of them knew that this was a dire situation. “My Holy Knight,” he said quickly, “I need you to get up on the rooftops and cover for me. Please follow any orders that I give and I will try and use my abilities to further guide you.”

Estuu nodded and the two of them darted in opposite directions. He ducked into one of the buildings, almost losing his balance as the stairs shook under his feet when the Lynel roared. Practically flying up the steps, Estuu shot onto the rooftop and quickly snapped his bow into the hook strapped on his severed arm, aiming it at the Lynel while waiting for his brother’s command.

Not lowering the bow, Estuu watched as his brother stood on top of the large chunk of stone that had nearly crushed them earlier. He raised his silver scale longsword into the air. “LYNEL! BRING YOUR ATTENTION HERE!” the golden knight shouted, waving his weapon in the air.

Brivere’s commands were barely heard over the screams of panicked or dying Undercity citizens. The monster continued to have its back towards him, completely oblivious to his pleas. Grunting, the Oracle Knight looked directly at Estuu. “Holy Knight!” he yelled, pointing his longsword at the young Zora on the roof. “Shoot the Lynel until it faces me!”

A few Undercity Zora who had managed to get out of the market gawked at the golden knight. “Are you crazy?!” one of them shouted. “You Uppercity Zora are going to get us all killed!”

Brivere ignored them. “Holy Knight! Do it now!”

While the young Zora really didn’t want to, he had to remember that in the moment he was the Holy Knight obeying his superior, not Estuu listening to his beloved older brother. He quickly nocked an arrow and let it fly, and once it hit its target he sent a storm of arrows raining down onto the monster’s back. It roared in pain and whipped around, trying to see who dared to attack it.

Brivere waved his sword around into the air, trying to distract the beast from seeing Estuu hiding on the rooftops. “OVER HERE! I HURT YOU! NOW COME GET ME!”

Everyone stared in shock and confusion as the Lynel didn’t charge forward, instead bending its knees and lowering its palms to the ground until it was nearly flattened against the smooth stones. Its hind leg kicked back, smashing into a building right behind it.

The outcome of this event flashed in Brivere’s mind. He panicked, realizing what was about to happen.

“EVERYONE DUCK FOR COVER!” he screamed.

The Lynel suddenly burst forward, launching its large body off of its powerful limbs towards Brivere. Everyone in the vicinity dove to the ground as the Oracle Knight sprinted out of the market and into the long roads of the Zora Domain.

“HOLY KNIGHT!” his brother yelled at the top of his lungs as the Lynel galloped after him. “FOLLOW ME FROM THE ROOFTOPS AND CONTINUE TO ATTACK IT!”

He didn’t have to be told twice. Estuu immediately hopped down onto the building next to him, running across the slippery tiles and gliding across the water flowing off of the roofs. To anyone else it would have been amazing how he continued to have perfect aim as the mad chase played out, but he would have silently argued that he had had much it worse when Link taught him how to shoot on the back of Crazy Girl as she thundered across the grasslands.

Zora were definitely not made for running, and this much was evident when Brivere had nearly been crushed by the beast’s hooves alone several times. On top of that the Lynel continued to try and grab at him with one hand while the other madly swung a sword that was twice the Zora’s size.

His older brother quickly dove into one of the many waterways that flowed throughout the Domain, which were basically miniature Zora-made rivers that worked like roads where one could swim instead of walk.

Now in his element, Brivere shot ahead of the Lynel as he swam for his life, the rushing current pushing the golden Zora forward. Several times the beast would lose interest and stop to focus on cowering Zora citizens off to the side, but Estuu would quickly turn the Lynel into a pincushion and Brivere would trick the monster into thinking that he himself had done it. They repeated this process across the Domain, slowly but surely luring the beast out of the residential areas and away from the innocent Zora citizens hiding inside.

Brivere had to switch waterways a few times to catch the currents that flowed out to the reservoir the fastest. This was accomplished by diving under and launching back out of the water, flipping through the air just out of the Lynel’s grasp before splashing into another waterway. Estuu could tell that his older brother was teasing the Lynel a bit too much, judging by how the acrobatics got more and more extravagant each time.

This only made the Lynel even angrier, who was now completely focused on the golden prey that continued to mock and elude it. Even as Estuu let more and more arrows fly, the monster only let out enraged roars that shook the area around them as it tried to snatch Brivere out of the water.

Finally the reservoir peeked over the horizon, and Estuu was relieved to see the sheer amount of soldiers that had gathered. Their numbers completely filled out the stone surrounding the water as their silver weapons shined in the sunlight. Even from this far away he could make out one large red blur with a smaller blue one next to it, presumably Prince Sidon and Knight Captain Betaal, waiting for him and Brivere.

The only problem was that there was no waterways directly leading to the reservoir.

This design was made with the intention of keeping the dirty waterway water away from the drinking water, and while that made perfect sense Brivere still cursed to himself for the inconvenience. The waterway he was currently swimming in was leading him right to a dead end, a large wall that couldn’t be climbed over and would take an hour to walk around.

His future vison had failed to mention this predicament.

Estuu didn’t catch onto the problem until the Oracle Knight was suddenly swimming around in circles. The narrow waterway he was now trapped in became a prison as Brivere tried to weave between the Lynel’s hands that plunged into the water, trying to grab onto the golden Zora’s slippery body.

Panic began to rise in his chest as Estuu realized that there wasn’t much they could do. All of the guards were currently out at the reservoir and they were too far away to realize what was happening. Brivere was the only one who would be able to call out to them anyways, and he was currently too busy trying to not get snatched up by the Lynel.

Estuu desperately looked around them, trying to figure out a way out of this mess. By Hylia’s grace, the answer revealed itself to him when he saw the waterfall that was pouring out of a nearby pipe.

He let a rare scream rip his throat apart, the noise so alien to both of the brothers that Brivere’s head shot out of the water in fear of finding his younger brother dead. To his relief, he saw Estuu alive and well, the young Zora screeching as he jabbed his one hand towards the pipe.

“Alright, Holy Knight!” his older brother shouted in understanding. “Cover me!”

Nodding, Estuu shot the last of his arrows right into the Lynel’s face. Most of them got stuck in its bushy mane, but it was still enough to make the beast turn directly towards him and howl. The young Zora darted between rooftops, circling around the monster and making it turn away from his older brother. Brivere quickly took the opening and dragged himself out of the waterway, sprinting towards the waterfall flowing out of the pipe.

The Lynel caught a blur of gold in the corner of its eye and quickly whipped its head around to see the Oracle Knight dive into the waterfall and begin to desperately swim upwards. Roaring, it swiped at Estuu and knocked the young Zora off of his feet before he rolled over and scrambled into the nearest window. From there, Estuu watched as the Lynel turned away from him and charged at Brivere, who was near the top of the waterfall.

The Holy Knight nocked his last arrow, ready to protect his superior as the beast reached for the Oracle Knight, but luckily he didn’t need to.

Right as the Lynel’s large hand shot into the waterfall, Brivere managed to slip into the pipe. The beast let out an earth-shaking howl that shook the young knight to his core, making him clutch at his head. Fighting through the urge to curl up and self-destruct, Estuu leaned out of the window and intensely stared at the end of the pipe that flowed into the reservoir, waiting for his older brother to reappear. A few minutes of tense, complete silence followed, save for the grunts and whines of the Lynel as it tried to squeeze its large hand into the pipe, to no avail. With each second that passed, the Holy Knight felt his heart squeeze tighter in fear of losing not only his superior, but the only family that he had left.

Estuu let out a sigh of relief when Brivere shot out of the pipe.

The young Zora watched in admiration as his older brother re-oriented himself, gracefully flipping through the air to prepare for a swift dive into the water and swim away from the Lynel, allowing the other soldiers to take the beast down. Everyone gathered on the other side of the reservoir cheered in relief, knowing that the Oracle Knight had succeeded and could safely get back to them.

But he never came.

Instead, with one last deafening roar, the Lynel whipped out its gigantic bow and nocked a shock arrow.

Everyone watched in horror as the arrow launched directly into the Oracle Knight’s stomach, throwing off his momentum. He smacked into the stone pavement with a sickening _crack_ and bounced off of the ground several times, rolling into the water right next to him before going completely limp.

“Brivere!” Prince Sidon screamed from the other side of the reservoir.

All of the soldiers lurched forward to try and grab the fallen Oracle Knight, but froze in place when the Lynel pointed more shock arrows at them while it quickly hoisted its gigantic body onto the wall, continuing to threaten them as it stood on top of the stone border. Before anyone could try and get around the monster’s aim, Brivere’s body had already begun to slowly sink into the deep water and out of sight.

Prince Sidon almost dove after him, and it took the Knight Captain and several other guards to hold the large Zora man back. “Let go! We need to give him medical attention!” the prince shouted, trying to wrestle himself out of their grasp.

“I am well aware!” the Undercity knight spat back. “But if we don’t take out that Lynel first, then we are going to end up losing more of our warriors! The faster we kill the beast the faster we can safely retrieve him!”

Prince Sidon reeled back to try and argue, but the Knight Captain silenced him by stabbing a finger to his chest. “That bastard is clearly using his body as bait.” the Undercity woman said through gritted, sharp teeth. “You should want to kill it more than anyone else here.”

After a moment of hesitation the prince nodded and raised his spear, ready to shout orders to the other soldiers in attendance. “Do not step a foot in the water! The shock arrows will harm you!” he commanded. “All archers stay back and shoot while all spearmen follow me to the beast! We will take it out from there!”

“Yes sir!” they all shouted back in unison. The army quickly split up, archers covering the spearmen as Prince Sidon led them on the pavement around the deep reservoir.

Estuu didn’t want to wait for reinforcements. He quickly darted around the Lynel’s ankles, who was thankfully preoccupied by the soldiers rushing at it to notice the tiny Zora dive into the water. He could hear Prince Sidon yell at him, commanding him to stop, but he ignored the prince as his warnings became warped by the water. Estuu used the adrenaline rushing through his body to push himself deeper and deeper into the abyss.

In that moment, he wasn’t the Holy Knight trying to search for his superior. He was Estuu, desperately trying to save the only family he had left.

Fear gripped his heart when he swam through the dark water, completely unable to see anything except for the sun shining above him. Although the light told him where he was and how deep he was going, Estuu quickly became disorientated. Water began to pump faster and faster through his gills as he began to panic. He had never swum in such a vast body of water before, especially when there was absolutely nothing in it but complete, gut wrenching darkness. The Zora Domain really only had rivers, and while the reservoir was basically a Zora-made ocean, it was not made for swimming. Also, Brivere had never taken him too far away from home before.

If they got out of this, he was going to make his older brother take him to an actual ocean one day.

A shimmer of silver metal flashed in the corner of his eye, and he quickly spun around to see a golden body gently floating inside a cloud of red water.

Blood.

Estuu shot through the water, kicking his legs with every last bit of strength in his body, the adrenaline quickly being replaced with paralyzing fear. He could barely slow himself down and almost slammed into his brother, narrowly avoiding the golden Zora by darting to the side at the last second. Quickly reorienting himself, the young Zora carefully swam next to Brivere.

Panic began to thrash around in Estuu’s chest as he looked over and gently touched his older brother’s wounds, ignoring how the small contact made his skin crawl. Brivere didn’t even move as Estuu examined him. The arrow was still deeply embedded into Brivere’s abdomen, and Estuu quickly drew it out, ignoring how the weapon burned his only hand. It wasn’t as if he could just leave it inside of his older brother, because although the electricity in the arrow had weakened, it could still cause harm.

But the damage was already done. No healer or healing potion could repair it. The skin and scales surrounding the punctured area were burnt and scarred, and the rest of Brivere’s body was covered marks that looked like lightning, shooting across his skin and scales in painful, swelling wounds. Brivere’s golden eyes were glassy and empty, mouth slightly ajar and barely twitching.

Unwanted memories flashed through Estuu’s mind at the sight of Brivere listlessly floating through the water, body completely limp and unmoving except for his gills desperately pumping for air, but beginning to slow down.

His older brother looked exactly like how their mother did when the two brothers had found her floating in their poisoned cistern.

And just like back then, Estuu was too numb to cry. To scream. To do anything but stare at the motionless body in denial, not fully registering that he was about to lose the only family member that he had left.

But this time, something inside of him snapped.

Estuu reached forward with his one hand, gently placing it on hole that was punctured into his older brother’s abdomen. He closed his eyes and remembered what Prince Sidon had told him months ago, finding now to be the best time to put what he had learned to use.

_“You wish to know how my sister used her abilities, young one?” the prince asked, raising his brow._

_Estuu nodded feverishly. He had been trying to get his abilities to reappear, but in all honesty, he didn’t know why. Was it to give himself worth? To regain his status and usefulness? To save the lives of many? To refill the gaping hole that gnawed at his chest, telling him he was incomplete, that he was missing a part of himself?_

_He didn’t know. He didn’t care. He just wanted that power back, the reason completely unimportant to the young Zora._

_Prince Sidon hummed, thinking back to beloved memories of his late sister. “I do believe she told me the thought process behind it, if that would help.” When Estuu eagerly nodded, the prince continued. “Mipha always said that when she used her abilities, it helped to think about those that she loved.”_

_Tilting his head, the young Zora stared back at the prince. Was that really how the late princess had done it? It seemed too simple, too naïve, too cliché to be true. Estuu had never really thought about anything when he used the ability, but that was more due to how uncomfortable it felt during the process. Every time he healed someone, it felt like part of him was being stripped away, his hands filled with a stinging, tickling sensation that always threatened to overwhelm him. He absolutely hated the feeling._

_But when he thought back on it, the one time that it had never felt like that… it was the first time he used it. When he desperately tried to bring his mother back to life, after finding her dead in their poisoned cistern._

_Prince Sidon smiled at the slight realization that dawned on Estuu’s face. “She said that thinking of those she loved… she would pour that love, that concern, into whoever she was healing. Mipha said she thought of me, but I know that she also thought of her lover, the Hylian Champion. Someone who she loved so desperately that she would do anything to keep them safe, and that genuine passion would apparently sway the goddess Hylia into helping my dear sister fulfil her desires.”_

_He paused, fondly gazing at Estuu. “I wonder, young one… do you have someone like that in your life?”_

The answer came in the form of a familiar green light that glowed on Estuu’s only hand, a holy aura he hadn’t seen in a long time that illuminated the dark water around the two brothers.

The young Zora braced himself for the stinging sensation that usually followed, but it never came. Instead, Estuu felt warm, and his hand felt as light as air. The green light seeped into his older brother’s scales, bathing Brivere’s body in the same holy aura, slowly erasing the damage that the Lynel’s arrow had done. The young Zora watched in awe as the fleshy hole under his fingers began to repair itself, eventually disappearing under new, shining scales. The lightning bolts of wounds that raced through the golden knight’s skin faded until they were completely gone, as if they had never been there in the first place. His older brother’s gills began to pump faster, returning to a steady pace.

Brivere’s golden eyes fluttered open as he gasped for air, quickly whipping his head around in a panic. When all he saw was Estuu staring back at him fondly, the golden knight relaxed. But as he felt Estuu’s hand on his abdomen, Brivere looked down to see the young Zora’s hand glowing in a soft, green light.

“Estuu…?” he said, voice slightly muffled by the water. “Your… your gift has returned?”

The young Zora slowly brought his hand back to his side, nodding in shock. He couldn’t believe it either. Not only that, but that was the most effective his ability had been, and it didn’t even have the strange, overwhelming sensation that usually came with the power.

The corners of Brivere’s lips tipped up into a rare smile as the two brothers gently bobbed in the dark water. “I am so thankful, Estuu. You saved my life.” he said, fondly gazing at the only family he had left. “But… how were you able to do it? Why has your ability returned?”

Estuu smiled back, eyes half lidded. He pointed at Brivere, then gently placed a hand over his own heart.

Brivere’s golden eyes crinkled as his smile stretched wider. “I see.” he chuckled. “Know that I feel the same, Estuu.”

Placing a hand on the armor covering Estuu’s shoulder, the golden knight tilted his head. “Now that we are both safe, shall we return to the surface? I am sure that everyone is worried, especially our lord.”

Nodding, Estuu paddled behind his older brother, both of them swimming towards the sun shining above them. Brivere glanced over his shoulder, making sure that the younger Zora could keep up. Both of them moved through the water in comfortable silence, close enough for comfort, but not enough to touch. Exactly how they liked it.

Estuu was proud of himself, and the young Zora silently prayed that his mother would be proud as well, instead of being upset that he hadn’t managed to do so all those years ago. But he knew that she would be happy that this time he was finally able to use his abilities to save someone who meant everything to him.

And that was the only reason he needed.

**Author's Note:**

> So i made this cause i liked the idea of estuu getting his powers back because of his worry for brivere  
> kinda expecting and hoping that it goes the same way in canon in Coma Baby, but watch me be proven totally wrong and i wouldnt care either way cause it just means MORE ESTUU CONTENT
> 
> god the brothers' relationship is the only thing that keeps me going some days i swear


End file.
